Frequent use of sunscreens, avoiding exposure can help prevent skin cancers

Summer. When it sizzles. Beaches, bathing suits and barbecues
this weekend will mark the unofficial beginning of the season. But
don't forget the sunscreen, or that sizzle might be the sun frying
vulnerable skin.

Whether prognosticators call for rain or shine, clear or hazy,
the sun's ultraviolet rays —— commonly called UV rays —— can cause
skin damage. They are omnipresent and can penetrate and change the
structure of skin cells.

Even brief trips outside can be damaging, said Ruth Gilboa, a
North County dermatologist with 16 years' experience.

Walking out to your car in the parking lot, walking outside your
home and other short trips, you may get small amounts of sun —— but
you're getting it many times a day.

Hats, visors, umbrellas and parasols are recommended outdoor
gear for people who live in this state. Most important, however is
sunscreen.

"And SPF 15 daily if you live in California no matter where you
live," Gilboa said. "No matter what your skin color is, what your
pigmentation is, you need sunscreen. Even African-Americans can get
skin cancer."

We get the sun

Californians get more sun than people in most other states for a
couple of reasons: "The closer to the equator you are, the stronger
the sun is," Gilboa said. "In many parts of the world, in the
winter it's a lot of darkness. We do get more UV than many people
living in other parts of the world."

Californians also have a more varied playground, and different
recreation spots might call for different precautions.

"Another important point is that, for every thousand feet you're
up in the air, the sun is 5 percent stronger," Gilboa said. "So at
Big Bear, it would be 30 percent stronger than sitting in a park or
walking on the streets in San Diego."

By the sea shore, it would seem to be 30 percent less, but
you're getting the effects from the water's reflection as well,
which means rays from above and below.

Sunscreen is used to protect the skin, the largest organ of the
body. But there are many factors to be aware of when applying
it.

For instance, many men don't have hair covering their ears the
way women do, Gilboa said. So men tend to get a lot of sun damage
on top of their ears.

Riding in a car is no barrier, either.

"UVA does go through window glass, and so a lot of people living
in Southern California have a lot more damage on the left side of
their face and their left arm," she said. "So even if you're just
going driving, you should have sunscreen."

Three kinds of UV light

UV light is divided into three kinds, Gilboa said: UVA, UVB and
UVC. UVA penetrates beyond the top layer of human skin, and
scientists believe it can cause damage to connective tissue, states
a report from the national Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta. UVB rays are less abundant because a
significant portion of them are absorbed by the ozone layer, the
report said. UVB rays penetrate less deeply into the skin than do
UVA rays, but also can be damaging. UVC radiation is extremely
hazardous to skin, but does not reach the surface of the earth.